Speaking to IGN, Sledgehammer’s Glen Schofield said he hoped the trailer would make people think, and gave an example of a real world story with some echoes of Spacey’s character’s sentiments.

“A friend of mine escaped from Iraq back in 2000, before the war. His family escaped from Iraq, but three years prior his uncle was arrested and was going to be put to death,” Schofield said.

“On Saddam Hussein’s birthday, however, Saddam let him go. So they were escaping and they asked this uncle to come with them, and you know what he said? He said, ‘Why would I go? Yeah, he put me in jail and maybe it was a mistake, but I’ve got support, I’ve got my life, I’ve got it all. All I need is protection and food.’

“So they escaped and he stayed, this guy that was previously going to be put to death.”

If this piques your interest, please do go read Schofield’s comments in their full context through the link above; politics are tricky things at the best of times.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is coming to PC, PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in November.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/09/19/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-pc-ps4-xbox-one/feed/0Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is “best game of our lives”, says devhttp://www.vg247.com/2014/09/04/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-best-game-of-our-lives/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/09/04/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-best-game-of-our-lives/#respondThu, 04 Sep 2014 08:40:44 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=489822The Sledgehammer team are putting the final polish on the latest in the Call of Duty series.

With only a couple of months to go until the the release of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Sledgehammer studio boss Glen Schofield reckons its the team’s best work yet.

This is the same Glen Schofield who worked on Dead Space, Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain, Modern Warfare 3 and, erm, Gex 3D: Enter the Gecko, so we’re expecting big things.

We r almost done! Last couple of polish items & I'm being kicked out. In the closers hands now. Best game of our lives. No doubt about it.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/09/04/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-best-game-of-our-lives/feed/0Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare open to inevitable sequelhttp://www.vg247.com/2014/05/29/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-pc-ps4-xbox-one-story-was-written-with-sequel-in-mind/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/29/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-pc-ps4-xbox-one-story-was-written-with-sequel-in-mind/#commentsThu, 29 May 2014 07:47:35 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=475107Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare developer Sledgehammer Games has revealed that it created the world and plot of its shooter with a sequel in mind. The team has also explained how its 2054 setting differs from the 2025 era depicted in Black Ops 2.

Now, speaking with GameInformer, Sledgehammer co-founder Michael Condrey said, “I think Call of Duty resonates because it’s believable and relatable. And it’s always been one of the strengths of the franchise.”

So that’s exactly why you won’t see total sci-fi concepts like full mechs or pew-pew laser guns. According to the team, this 3D-printed bullet gun and Advanced Warfare’s plasma-powered hover bike are plausible tools of the military trade.

Condrey added, “Some of the the things we found through research of what’s going on in the military today and around the world was more fantastic than even the things we were coming up with. And so I think that time period and that ability to keep it rooted means that our fans, ourselves – you know, it’s not that fictional leap to a science fiction world you can’t relate to.”

“Science fiction icons, we stayed away from,” co-founder Glen Schofield chipped in. “So you won’t see the traditional mech. Even though that may happen, people automatically go, ‘Sci-fi.’ So, we’re kind of trying to stay away from that.”

On any potential overlap with Black Ops 2’s future setting, Schofield explained, “We do talk with Mark Lamia [Treyarch studio head] and his designers and artists as much as possible, and that’s so that we don’t duplicate things.

“But I think we realized after the first six months or so when we had this huge amount of information and we had sort of a vision, that if we just kind of followed that and we used Sledgehammer’s style, that we will be different.”

“It’s almost like two artists create a landscape and one’s going to be so much different than the other and I think that there’s enough differences between the two that – I know there’s enough difference between the two that they both can exist.”

But in the end, Advanced Warfare was written with longevity in mind. That means a sequel, naturally.

“There has to be some thinking of not ruining the story and everything or the world so you can’t have another game,” Schofield concluded. “We’re keeping it in a place where another game can exist.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/29/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-pc-ps4-xbox-one-story-was-written-with-sequel-in-mind/feed/9Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s devs promise you an “incredibly special” E3 2014 revealhttp://www.vg247.com/2014/05/19/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-e3-2014-reveal/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/19/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-e3-2014-reveal/#commentsMon, 19 May 2014 07:40:09 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=472795Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare developer Sledgehammer Games has a lot to prove as the new kids on the block, but studio co-founders Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey have penned a promise to blow your mind at E3 2014 next month.

Now, in a post on the Sledgehammer site, the pair wrote, “It’s hard to believe that it has been almost three years since we started working on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and the last time we were at E3 we were on the road sharing MW3.

“It’s been quite the journey and our show plans are shaping up to be incredibly special. We’ve been busy reading all your comments, watching all your videos, and absolutely glowing with the excitement of sharing more with the greatest community on earth – the Call of Duty community.

“The anticipation of showing off the most ambitious project we’ve ever worked on is a truly humbling feeling, and we could not be more proud of the amazing work being crafted by the team at Sledgehammer Games. The studio is buzzing with the excitement and looking forward to sharing more from our game with you.”

Are you pumped for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare? Let us hear about it below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/19/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-e3-2014-reveal/feed/7Sledgehammer’s cancelled third-person Call of Duty game could make a comebackhttp://www.vg247.com/2014/05/15/sledgehammers-cancelled-third-person-call-of-duty-game-could-make-a-comeback/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/15/sledgehammers-cancelled-third-person-call-of-duty-game-could-make-a-comeback/#commentsThu, 15 May 2014 03:37:30 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=472000Call of Duty nearly spawned a third-person shooter set during the Vietnam War – and if Activision ever says the word, Sledgehammer Games is bang behind making it happen.

Speaking with GameInformer, Sledgehammer Games boss Glen Schofield acknowledged difficulties with the project – how does a third-person game go head-to-head with big FPS titles? – but sounded really attached to the shelved game.

“If they ever asked us to a make a third-person Call of Duty game I’d go back to what we were doing,” he said.

Schofield said the team spent six to eight months on the game and it has “some cool mechanics”, but that not every aspect of the project was as well considered.

“We found out as we were researching it as well, all around the world it’s actually known as America’s war. Not Vietnam’s. We were the only ones that called it the Vietnam War,” he noted.

“It’s kind of unpopular. And we didn’t really understand the marketing aspect of that.”

Yes, how do you market a game set during one of the most controversial military operations of all time within the gung-ho Call of Duty brand without coming across as remarkable insensitive dickwads? I’d definitely plump for “cancel project, never speak of it again”.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/15/sledgehammers-cancelled-third-person-call-of-duty-game-could-make-a-comeback/feed/2Sledgehammer approached Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare like a new IPhttp://www.vg247.com/2014/05/13/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-sledgehammer-games-interview/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/13/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-sledgehammer-games-interview/#commentsTue, 13 May 2014 08:03:14 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=471390Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare developer Sledgehammer Games approached its first solo entry to the series as a brand-new IP, and studio co-founder Michael Condrey and Glen Schofield have explained why in a new interview.

Speaking with GameInformer, Senior development director Aaron Halon stressed Sledgehammer’s commitment to Call of Duty’s 60 frames-per-second display and other tropes, while making clear that the shooter will have a new spin.

One of those new ideas is that the exo-suit worn by protagonist Mitchell can be upgraded through experience earned in the solo campaign. The rig lets players stealth cloak, hover in mid air, use super-human strength and more.

Back to the interview, co-founder Michael Condrey added, “Yeah, we’re really looking forward to sharing more because we think we have some meaningful way to make this franchise feel like it’s got its Sledgehammer mark on it.”

Fellow co-founder Glen Schofield said, “We approached this like we would any new IP. I mean, this has been one heck of a creative challenge. I mean, everything is brand new in the game,” then added that the shooter will include, “some pretty big experiments to the core mechanics that’ll effect multiplayer and every mode of the game.”

When asked what the team would say to fans worried about a new team entering the yearly Call of Duty cycle, Halon concluded, “Don’t worry about it. I mean, look, again, we’re fans. We’re really scrutinizing what we’re doing ourselves and can’t wait to show the stuff off.”

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will launch worldwide on November 4 for PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/13/call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-sledgehammer-games-interview/feed/6Call of Duty 2014 to be “most ambitious” Sledgehammer game to datehttp://www.vg247.com/2014/03/21/call-of-duty-2014-to-be-most-ambitious-sledgehammer-game-to-date/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/03/21/call-of-duty-2014-to-be-most-ambitious-sledgehammer-game-to-date/#commentsFri, 21 Mar 2014 01:29:00 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=458575Call of Duty’s next release is the “most ambitious, most creative game we’ve ever made”, Sledgehammer Games cofounder Glen Schofield said during a GDC session, as reported by Gamespot. Although Sledgehammer is a young studio, its founders created the Dead Space franchise, so that’s quite a big call. The studio is the third leg in Activision’s new Call of Duty three studio scheme, and is responsible for this year’s release, which we’ve nicknamed Call of Duty 2014 or Modern Warfare 4, after an interesting rumour. We’re expecting new over the next few months.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/03/21/call-of-duty-2014-to-be-most-ambitious-sledgehammer-game-to-date/feed/6Sledgehammer CEO: ‘studios need to keep an open mind’http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/07/sledgehammer-ceo-studios-need-to-keep-an-open-mind/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/07/sledgehammer-ceo-studios-need-to-keep-an-open-mind/#commentsThu, 07 Feb 2013 11:24:17 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=337780Modern Warfare 3 co-developer Sledgehammer Games was co-founded by one Glen Schofield, who has given a lecture at this year’s DICE summit. During his session he called on developers to keep an open mind when approaching new ideas, lest consumer interest in the industry wane.

I know what some of you are already thinking – ‘Call of Duty is an yearly cycle franchise, how can he possibly suggest developers keep an open mind?’ – but he has 17 years directing experience under his belt, and 23 years in the industry, so he knows a thing or two about games.

GI.biz reports that Schofield cautioned studios that raw talent isn’t enough to generate unique ideas, but that developers need to constantly be thinking about that next big ‘Eureka!’ moment.

Those ideas must come from developers keeping an open mind, he cautioned, and added that studios should put their ego to one side, and work on their idea at base level, pumping tons of research into it and making something that stands out from the pack. He said that this dedication would be “Great for the industry.”

Schofield’s practical example of this dedication to research is that he brushed up on his knowledge of Operation Desert Storm, Somalian pirates and sandstorms for a mission in Modern Warfare 3, and he even watched some 400 movies while working on the original Dead Space at Visceral. He stressed that this level of research must be carried out for all elements of a game, no matter how small it may seem.

It’s an interesting discussion on creating diverse titles. Here it is in full:

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/07/sledgehammer-ceo-studios-need-to-keep-an-open-mind/feed/4Sledgehammer: “A lot of pressure” in co-developing Modern Warfare 3http://www.vg247.com/2011/11/09/sledgehammer-a-lot-of-pressure-in-co-developing-modern-warfare-3/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/11/09/sledgehammer-a-lot-of-pressure-in-co-developing-modern-warfare-3/#commentsWed, 09 Nov 2011 01:41:24 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=214726Working alongside Infinity Ward was the the opportunity of a lifetime for Sledgehammer Games, but not a light-hearted undertaking.

“I’d be dishonest if I said I didn’t feel the pressure. To be working on Modern Warfare 3, with 30 million plus fans demanding nothing less than an amazing sequel to Modern Warfare 2 … yeah, we knew it was going to take everything we had to give,” COO and co-founder Michael Condrey told IndustryGamers.

“We also knew that it was an opportunity of a lifetime. It’s like that saying – the hardest steel is forged in the hottest fire. It’s been quite a two-year journey and it certainly took a herculean team effort.”

“There has been a lot of pressure, but most of it we put on ourselves,” general manager Glen Schofield added.

“We realize there are millions of fans out there that are counting on us to deliver something that can be held up to Modern Warfare 2. There are so many people looking forward to playing Modern Warfare 3 that I’d be kidding you if I didn’t say we feel some pressure.

“But at Sledgehammer Games we love a challenge and live for the pressure. It makes us perform at our very best. I think those that can handle the pressure, and love what they do, always do their greatest work.”

Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward and Raven worked on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and its attendant social network platform, Call of Duty: Elite. The game likely to be the biggest seller of the year launched globally on November 8.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/11/09/sledgehammer-a-lot-of-pressure-in-co-developing-modern-warfare-3/feed/55“We’ll probably cancel” third-person CoD effort, admits Sledgehammerhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/10/19/well-probably-cancel-third-person-cod-effort-admits-sledgehammer/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/19/well-probably-cancel-third-person-cod-effort-admits-sledgehammer/#commentsWed, 19 Oct 2011 09:28:32 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=209991Sledgehammer Games boss Glen Schofield has admitted it may end up cancelling its third-person Call of Duty title after Modern Warfare 3’s release.

The new title from Sledgehammer was announced in March 2010 on the same day the Call of Duty business unit was reorganised following Jason West and Vince Zampella’s firings from Infinity Ward, but has not been formally introduced.

The new studio has since been working with IW on Modern Warfare 3 for a release next month, but Schofield admitted to CVG it may not bring back the game following MW3’s release.

“We’ll probably cancel it,” said Schofield. “They gave us the choice of: do you want to work on Modern Warfare 3, or do you want to continue working on this? And we really liked that.

“We liked what we were doing. It third person, probably set at a time that might have niched it too much. I bet that if we had kept going, within a month or two I probably would have switched the time period, but kept the gameplay. It had some really cool stuff.”

For what it does next after Modern Warfare 3, Schofield says Sledgehammer is going alone.

“This game has allowed both Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games to hire, and we hired really strong teams, both of us. We needed to come together on this one, but since then we’ve both grown, we’re both over 100 people now,” he said.

“Initially we weren’t fully functional because we had to learn a new engine. Now we have, I think the best thing that could happen for Activision would be for us to both go off and make our own game. Whether that’s a Call of Duty game or not is up in the air. I plan to continue working on Call of Duty.”

Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 8 for PS3, 360 and PC.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/19/well-probably-cancel-third-person-cod-effort-admits-sledgehammer/feed/9Schofield: Modern Warfare 3’s engine is “a Porsche”http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/18/schofield-modern-warfare-3s-engine-is-a-porsche/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/18/schofield-modern-warfare-3s-engine-is-a-porsche/#commentsTue, 18 Oct 2011 05:17:03 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=209706Sledgehammer Games general manager Glen Schofield has responded again to criticism of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s ageing engine.

“I’ve worked on a lot of engines over my lifetime and spent a lot of time putting graphics in to them and this thing is a Porsche,” Schofield told CVG.

“And what I mean by that is that it is stream-lined, everything in it is perfectly freaking clean. You can tell it’s been worked on for years. It’s easy to upgrade.

“We worked with engines before that are like fucking spaghetti. You can’t work on a part and put it back in without messing with everything else.

“I’ve said this before – I’m not shipping an engine, I’m shipping a game. So that’s why I’m going to talk about the game. You can talk about your engine all you want. It’s not fun.”

Schofield said that despite utilising the same engine, the upgradable nature of the tech means Modern Warfare 3’s levels are much bigger, and have greater verticality, than Modern warfare 2’s – on top of graphical improvements.

“If you put Modern Warfare 2 next to Modern Warfare 3 you would see a huge difference. Look at all the character models, look at all the gun models, look at the reflections, look at the water.

“There is so much that we’ve added, so when someone says ‘cut and paste’, I don’t even want to talk to them because they don’t know. They just don’t know. They have no idea.”

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 arrives on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/18/schofield-modern-warfare-3s-engine-is-a-porsche/feed/21Modern Warfare 3 boss talks competition in video interviewhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/10/10/modern-warfare-3-video-interview-with-sledgehammer-co-founder/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/10/modern-warfare-3-video-interview-with-sledgehammer-co-founder/#commentsMon, 10 Oct 2011 14:41:47 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=208185One of the top leaders at Sledgehammer Games sat down with Eurogamer to talk all-things Modern Warfare 3, including his feelings on the competition.

There’s plenty to talk about with this year’s iteration of the Call of Duty series, and Eurogamer recently sat down with the Chief Creative Officer and Co-founder of Sledgehammer Games, Glen Schofield to hash out some of the issues.

Though he plays a little coy in some places, there’s definitely some interesting stuff in this five minute interview. Including, how the division of labor worked between Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward, and what it was like to come into a project steeped in so much turmoil.

Hop on over to Eurogamer to check out the full interview and see lots of flash cuts to things exploding and people dying.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/10/modern-warfare-3-video-interview-with-sledgehammer-co-founder/feed/10Quick Quotes: Schofield on his Modern Warfare 3 concernshttp://www.vg247.com/2011/10/01/quick-quotes-schofield-on-his-modern-warfare-3-concerns/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/01/quick-quotes-schofield-on-his-modern-warfare-3-concerns/#commentsSat, 01 Oct 2011 14:58:40 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=206432“We were very confident after Dead Space, especially with our development processes. We knew we could deliver within a deadline and with a lot of polish. And that confidence was exactly what was needed. But there are days [with Modern Warfare 3] when you think: ‘Holy shit, this is a monster’. There is a lot of stress. It’s not crippling, but the thing that worries me most is people going: ‘Look, there’s the guy who brought down Call of Duty!’ That scares the crap out of me.” – Sledgehammer co-founder and former Visceral head Glen Schofield to Edge (via CVG).
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/01/quick-quotes-schofield-on-his-modern-warfare-3-concerns/feed/1Activision devs have discussions “all the time” concerning Call of Duty’s annualizationhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/09/16/activision-devs-have-discussions-all-the-time-concerning-call-of-dutys-annualization/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/16/activision-devs-have-discussions-all-the-time-concerning-call-of-dutys-annualization/#commentsFri, 16 Sep 2011 14:39:30 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=203251Sledgehammer CEO Glen Schofield has said there are discussions “all the time” over Call of Duty’s annualization, and the development teams have conversations about the possibility of the series losing momentum.

Speaking with GamerZines, Schofield said in order to keep the momentum going though, the team’s focus is “all about innovation.”

“We’re fans, so we know where we want to take it, we know what would make us happy, and we are listening to other fans out there,” he said of the series.

“But you know what, it’s not [losing momentum] right now, it’s growing. You can see it out there. It’s so big, people love it and I get so many tweets from the community. It’s the biggest thing in entertainment. You stay paranoid because things can happen, but staying paranoid actually makes your game better.”

Each November for the past five years, a new Call of Duty game has been released, and with each new installment, sales figures outdo the previous release.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 8 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 as a joint venture between Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward. Treyarch is handling the Wii version.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/16/activision-devs-have-discussions-all-the-time-concerning-call-of-dutys-annualization/feed/12Sledgehammer’s canned Call of Duty effort “like Dead Space”http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/07/sledgehammers-canned-call-of-duty-effort-like-dead-space/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/07/sledgehammers-canned-call-of-duty-effort-like-dead-space/#commentsWed, 07 Sep 2011 09:36:35 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=201023Sledgehammer boss Glen Schofield has said that the studio’s cancelled Call of Duty game, now known to be a third-person action-adventure game, had an atmosphere similar to Dead Space.

The game was supposed to take place in an alternate era to Modern Warfare, according to the GM.

“It was a third-person action-adventure game, it was a shooter, and it was not based in this era,” Schofield told Gamerzines at CoD XP.

“It had a lot of atmosphere like, I should say Dead Space a little bit because you were underground in some places. You know, war is hell, war is scary and that’s what we were trying to get across. We did a tonne of research.”

The decision to cancel the third-person title and work on Modern Warfare 3 with Infinity Ward was a decision made by the studio, not Activision, Schofield insisted.

“They came to us and said, ‘would you guys work on it?’. And at first we told them we’d need to talk to the team and that we’d get back to them in a couple of days. And they were like, ‘well, we really, really like you, you’re the ones that Infinity Ward have chosen’.”

Modern Warfare 3 releases on November 8 on PS3, 360 and PC.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/07/sledgehammers-canned-call-of-duty-effort-like-dead-space/feed/12Sledgehammer’s third-person Call of Duty game was “compelling”, but Modern Warfare 3 too good to misshttp://www.vg247.com/2011/09/02/sledgehammers-third-person-call-of-duty-game-was-compelling-but-modern-warfare-3-too-good-to-miss/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/02/sledgehammers-third-person-call-of-duty-game-was-compelling-but-modern-warfare-3-too-good-to-miss/#commentsFri, 02 Sep 2011 03:28:47 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=200059Sledgehammer Games, now working with Infinity Ward on Modern Warfare 3, has spilled a few details on its shelved third-person Call of Duty game.

“We came on board to make a third person action adventure game, in the Call of Duty franchise, and we were working on it about six months,” Activision general manager and studio founder Glen Schofield told Gamespot.

“We had a prototype together that was pretty compelling, and it looked really good,” co-founder Michael Condrey added.

Unfortunately for third-person fans, Sledgehammer was offered the chance to work on Modern Warfare 3 before the project got off the ground – and couldn’t knock it back.

“The opportunity to work on the biggest thing in the industry with Infinity Ward, that’s demonstrated that they know how to do exceptional software, was just an opportunity we couldn’t [miss],” Condrey said.

“There’s a lot of people on the team who have worked on Call of Duty before, who have worked on first-person shooters before, so there’s a lot of built-in knowledge about the first-person shooter genre and a lot of passionate gamers. Some guys on the floor are tenth level prestige in Black Ops.

“So it was a nice marriage of experience in the genre and kind of fan desire to work on this franchise.”

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November. The game’s multiplayer will have its eSports debut at Call of Duty XP in Los Angeles this weekend.

“This game will run at 60 frames a second. Not sure any of our competitors will,” the studio head told Ausgamers of Modern Warfare 3.

“Not sure I’ve seen any of our competitors – on the console especially – running at 60 frames a second, and I’d be a little scared at this point – in June – if I was looking forward to a particular game that wasn’t on the console and running at 60. And I think 60 is our competitive edge and you just don’t throw that away.”

A recurring criticism of Modern Warfare 3 is its failure to introduce a new engine, but Schofield said this is nonsense.

“We really re-vamped this engine. We put a whole new audio system in and it is as competitive as anybody out there. You can go out and name your engine and call it whatever you want, right.

“… What you do is you build upon it, right? And build and build and build. And we build new tools that make us more efficient. We built brand new tools so that we could put more stuff in.

“… We’re able to put so much on the screen because it’s an engine and it’s well-known, it’s very clean and we’re able to easily upgrade it. So I don’t know what the future holds for the engine. But you don’t ship an engine, you ship a game.”

Modern Warfare 3 is due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in early November.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/30/sledgehammer-talks-up-mw3-frame-rate-and-engine-improvements/feed/30MW3: Spec Ops shown live on Jimmy Fallon – watch it nowhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/06/14/mw3-spec-ops-shown-on-jimmy-fallon/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/14/mw3-spec-ops-shown-on-jimmy-fallon/#commentsTue, 14 Jun 2011 06:35:27 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=179677Jimmy Fallon’s shown off Modern Warfare 3 on US TV overnight, with Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg, Infinity Ward creative strategist Rob Bowling and Sledgehammer co-founder Glen Schofield all making appearances. Footage of the New York demo that was played at Microsoft’s E3 presser was shown, with Spec Ops demoed live on the show by Bowling, Fallon and Simon Pegg. Watch it below. Game’s out on November 8 for PS3, 360 and PC.

Activision COO Thomas Tippl has said that the upcoming Call of Duty title from upstart Sledgehammer Games will “broaden the audience”.

Speaking with the LA Times, Tippl said the studio – headed by ex-Visceral heads Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey – will bring an “innovative take” on the series.

He also reiterated, despite the firings of ex-studio bosses Vince Zampella and Jason West nearly two months ago, what Activision had previously said, by stating that Infinity Ward remains “central” to the Call of Duty franchise.

“Today, we have three studios working on Call of Duty,” said Tippl. “We have Infinity Ward, which made Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Then we have Treyarch, which will be releasing a Call of Duty game in the fall of 2010. Treyarch also developed Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty 3.

“And, most recently, we’ve added Sledgehammer in the Bay Area. We haven’t yet announced the content of their game, but it’s going to be an innovative take that will further broaden the audience for Call of Duty.”

Not much has actually been said of the Sledgehammer CoD since its announcement in March other than it will be in the action-adventure genre, suggesting it may move away as a first-person shooter.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2010/04/19/new-sledgehammer-cod-title-will-broaden-the-audience-says-activision/feed/28Call of Duty’s DAY OF DEATH – everything you need to knowhttp://www.vg247.com/2010/03/03/call-of-dutys-day-of-death-everything-you-need-to-know/
http://www.vg247.com/2010/03/03/call-of-dutys-day-of-death-everything-you-need-to-know/#commentsWed, 03 Mar 2010 07:12:38 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=83240

That was exciting, wasn’t it? Fuck the APOCALYPS3 – Infinity Ward implosion and Sledgehammer obvo-reveals are where it’s at.

The face of Call of Duty, one of the world’s biggest game franchises, drastically altered in the last 24 hours, with the story ballooning faster than you may have liked. What happened? Hit the link.

It was rumoured back in early January that Infinity Ward was not developing Modern Warfare 3. Newly-formed Activision studio Sledgehammer, headed by ex-Visceral bosses Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, was tipped as the game’s likely developer.

The following day, Schofield said the studio’s first game would be “quite unique”.

Fast forward to yesterday. Reports claimed that a security detail arrived at Infinity Ward and bosses Vince Zampella and Jason West vanished after a “meeting”. Both West and Zampella‘s LinkedIn profiles switch IW to “past”.

Activision filed a SEC document citing a human resources investigation into “into breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity Ward.”

The story ramps up. A report claims the root of the trouble is that Infinity Ward hasn’t been paid any royalties for Modern Warfare 2.

Activision boss Bobby Kotick is then rumoured to be on-site at IW for a staff meeting.

The publisher reaffirms that it “expects to release a new Call of Duty game from Treyarch this fall. In addition, Infinity Ward is in development on the first two downloadable map packs for Modern Warfare 2 for release in 2010.”

There’s a lot of rumour swirling this morning, but it’s bitty and noxious. A little like fallout.

That’s it. That’s everything. There is no more. Thanks for your attention.

Visceral has revealed that the departures of former general manager Glen Schofield and COO Michael Condrey had no impact on Dante’s Inferno whatsoever.

Speaking with VG247 in a round-table interview last night, executive producer Jonathan Knight told us that the studio heads leaving to form Sledgehammer Games for Activison was just part of the business.

“The departure did not impact the production,” he said. “Production on the game started long before they left, and thanks to the core team and the sister teams, things were business as usual.

“It takes more than one person to make a game as it’s a collaborative team effort. Chemistry and talent make a game, and we had that locked in already, so it did not have any impact on us at all.

“People come and go and change jobs all the time in this business. It’s pretty normal really.”

It was revealed back in July 2009 that both Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey had left EA to work with Activison.

Sledgehammer boss Glen Schofield’s told Joystiq that the studio’s first game is “quite unique” and will “bring something new and exciting to our fans”.

The newly-born outfit was rumoured yesterday to be working on Modern Warfare 3, while Infinity is starting on something fresh.

No other details were given on the game.

Schofield said in the same interview that moving from his old gig as head of EA’s Visceral to set up Sledgehammer had been “fantastic”.

We haven’t looked back once,” he said.

“I had a great time at EA, we made some excellent games, and I’m proud of the work we accomplished there. Activision offered us the opportunity to start a studio from scratch, create the culture, hire the team and build a state of the art game making facility. Instead of inheriting an existing studio like I did with Visceral, we were now able to create a brand new space, and more importantly, a new culture.”

“The transition has been fantastic. We haven’t looked back once,” he said.

“I had a great time at EA, we made some excellent games, and I’m proud of the work we accomplished there. Activision offered us the opportunity to start a studio from scratch, create the culture, hire the team and build a state of the art game making facility. Instead of inheriting an existing studio like I did with Visceral, we were now able to create a brand new space, and more importantly, a new culture.

They have given us full support to build a world class studio and implement the development methodologies we believe will lead us to success.

“They leave game-making to the game makers. It’s a simple philosophical difference with some other companies’ approaches. It’s empowering and doesn’t force processes into teams that slow down decision making.”

Schofield said he’s not at liberty to say what the new studio’s working on, but that the title will be “something that surpasses” the previous titles he worked on in terms of “critical and commercial success”.

“We believe the game will be quite unique and will bring something new and exciting to our fans.

“Sledgehammer has been given the time to develop a game that will make the company proud. [Activision] hired us for our track record and vision and they are supporting our plans, ideas and creativity 110 percent.

“It’s refreshing – the trust that they have given to us – and we don’t take it lightly.”

Remember back in July when Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey left EA for Activision? Well, it’s finally been revealed by the company what the two former Visceral Games execs will be doing.

The duo will co-head new studio Sledgehammer Games, which is currently at work on an unannounced project. Schofield takes on the role of vice president and general manager, while Condrey will serve as vice president and COO.

“Michael and I are thrilled to be building a brand new studio for Activision”, said Schofield. “This was an opportunity for us to assemble a world-class team made up of developers with a proven track record in delivering top-rated games.

“We know what it takes to develop a Game of the Year title, and we also know that the title needs the support of a strong publisher to make the game a success.”

“Activision Blizzard’s independent studio model is very empowering,” added Condrey. “We have a fantastic new studio facility, the foundation for a world-class team and the backing of the industry’s most profitable game publisher.

“This was a rare opportunity we couldn’t pass up and we are thankful for the support the Activision organization has shown us.”

EA has responded to requests from VG247 regarding the departure of Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey.

According to a spokesperson:

“I can confirm that they are exiting EA. It takes a team of talented people to make a highly-rated game like Dead Space. The team at Visceral are currently working on Dante’s Inferno, Dead Space Extraction and new titles to be announced at a later date.

“Production is uninterrupted on Dante’s Inferno and Dead Space Extraction. SVP Nick Earl continues to lead the Visceral Games Studio.”

So there ya have it. Confirmed.

Now we are awaiting word from Activison regarding what their positions with the newly formed studio entails.

Update: According to an email we received from an Activision spokesperson:

“Glen Schofield along with Michael Condrey will lead the studio which will be creating a new game based on one of Activision’s existing franchises.

“We will be providing more details regarding the game at a later date.”

No other details were forthcoming, other than Activision’s plans on continuing its revamp of proven titles which is not news, really.

Reports surfacing around the net are claiming that EA’s Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey have left Redwood Shores for positions at Activison’s new Bay Area studio.

According to sources close to Gamespot, Visceral Games employees were informed that general manager Glen Schofield and COO Michael Condrey were leaving to work at the as of yet unnamed studio.

Schofield was the man behind Dead Space, and was recently busy talking up Dante’s Inferno.

EA nor Activision have commented on the situation yet, but we have contacted both so hopefully one or the other will get back with us soon.

UPDATE: Kotaku has word from EA: “EA has been nurturing great developers for 27 years and making room for the next generation is an important part of that process,” said EA’s head of corporate communications, Jeff Brown. “It takes a team to make a great game like Deas Space and and there’s a stunning array of talent in the Visceral studio — creative leaders who now have the opportunity to step into the spotlight and have their talent recognized.”

Still, not much of a comment. We’re still waiting for one on this end.

Visceral Games head Glen Schofield has told VG247 that EA is “not ready” to show any of the studio’s titles past Dante’s Inferno and Dead Space: Extraction, and has refused to be drawn on timing for a Dead Space 2 reveal.

“Our two big games are Extraction and Dante’s Inferno: we’re not ready to announce anything [else] yet, no,” Schofield said, talking in a phone interview.

“These two games are the games we’re really focussing on. One of the reasons we changed the [studio’s] name [to Visceral] is to go, ‘We’re focussing on quality.’ So right now the focus is on getting these two games to the highest quality. The studio is really working on that.

“I think talking about anything other than that just takes the focus away from the games we’re working on.”

When asked specifically when we can expect to see Dead Space 2 announced, EA PR jumped in with a “no comment”.

Visceral said it was working on two unannounced games in May when it rebranded away from EA Redwood Shores.

Just after the rebranding announcement, Dead Space 2 was inadvertently announced via a developer LinkedIn profile, although the title has now been edited out of the CV.